WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after Standard and Poor’s downgraded the United States’ credit rating, citing the recent budget battle where some Republicans leaders pushed the country to the brink of default. “The downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges,” S&P said in their statement.

“Standards and Poor’s downgrade should be a wakeup call to Republicans in Congress who have manufactured this political crisis in order to push their reckless ideological demands, and the media that have largely bought into their dangerous rhetoric.

“The United States can and will be able to pay its bills while investing in the middle class as long as there are leaders who act responsibly on behalf of the American people. However, as the last several weeks have shown, Tea Party Republicans in Congress have no such intention of acting responsibly. Their reckless extortionist legislative strategy has clearly done more to sow deep anxiety and uncertainty over the economy than nearly any other set of events.

“Republicans in Congress have proven beyond a doubt they will run the American economy into the ditch if they cannot win their extreme and ideological demands. Their uncompromising approach to governing is the single largest threat to Americans jobs and economic recovery right now.

“This hostage-taking cannot become a substitute to true bipartisan cooperation in Congress and must not be allowed to continue.”